


Nexus

by Sadbhyl



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-08
Updated: 2011-07-08
Packaged: 2017-10-21 04:16:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/220794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadbhyl/pseuds/Sadbhyl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The trouble with knowing the future…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nexus

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: No webs of time were violated in the writing of this story. Any injured copyrights were unintentional
> 
> Notes: I have a really hard time watching Boomtown now…
> 
> Originally published September 30, 2007

Jack sat behind his desk, watching the monitor, a glass of whiskey nearly full in his hand, the bottle mostly empty within easy reach. The calendar on his desk had the date circled in bold red ink with the note, “Don’t forget.”

He’d started drinking the night before. Forget? He wished.

The monitor flickered and a blue police call box faded into view in the middle of Roald Dahl Plas. No one noticed. No one but him.

He watched Rose come out and twirl around, arms outstretched, followed by the Doctor and himself, a hundred and fifty years younger and totally oblivious of what was to come. He could go up there, talk to them or even just stow away deep in the bowels of the TARDIS somewhere. He still had his key. It would be easy enough to do.

Instead, he gulped down the whiskey and stood, straightening his suspenders before flipping open his wrist comp to type in a complex sequence of commands he’d memorized in preparation for this day. At the end he hesitated a moment. Last chance. It could end now.

With a firm pressure, he executed the commands.

Klaxons blared as the whole Hub went dark, shutting down all the computers and monitoring devices, leaving only the red haze of emergency lights to see by. As he stepped out of his office, Suzie stumbled up the stairs, shouting to be heard over the din. “What’s happened? Jack, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” he lied at the top of his lungs. “Something’s sent us into lockdown. You and Tosh see what you can find. I’ll try to find out if it’s external.”

She nodded and went to find Toshiko.

They wouldn’t find anything. He’d had too much time to prepare. Torchwood would be blind and crippled while a small band of renegade time travelers took their ease in Cardiff, uncovered a plot and brought a murderer a bit of redemption before going on their way again.

Without him.

Again.


End file.
